Tallinar
Member
I know this topic has likely been beat to death, and I've read other threads from other forums on the topic, but would like input.
I went on a successful squirrel hunt with a friend this weekend. This was my only my second time hunting and the first time I've taken any game myself. I went home with two squirrel's worth of meat. Had a blast. Looking forward to going again.
We were shooting on the property of an acquaintance who was kind enough to let us on. The property used to be a golf course, and has since been overgrown and repurposed for crops. It's fairly remote, with not a lot of structures nearby. I was using a .22 LR bolt action with a 4x fixed scope, shooting CCI 36 grain Varmint Mini-Mags. This rifle and ammo made for some pretty clean kills. I shot one squirrel in the head from about 7 yards away just at the base of a tree. The other one I shot was about 20 yards away, and up in some branches. I hit him in the upper side, and had an exit wound out the base of the neck.
What occurred to me, however, is that I think this ammo is probably overkill for squirrels -- at least at these close ranges, and for making tree shots. Even though I was cognizant of the direction I was shooting at all times as relates to nearby structures in the vicinity, shooting a rifle at an upward angle into a tree like this feels like it breaks conventions of firearm safety, even though it's just a .22. If the bullet doesn't hit a squirrel, a tree, or something else to dissipate its energy and modify trajectory, I know that bullet is capable of flying a good mile or more, depending on angle. I think I can be more responsible here. At the very least, if I am going to use a .22, I feel like I can pick a better round.
So let's say I want to keep using a .22 LR bolt action. Let's say I'm not interested in moving to a shotgun or a pellet rifle. What ammo would you recommend for tree shooting inside of 40 yards or so? Just enough juice to easily down a squirrel, while anemic enough to limit over-travel with missed shots. Would CCI Quiets be the ticket? .22 Shorts? What do you like to use?
Thanks.
I went on a successful squirrel hunt with a friend this weekend. This was my only my second time hunting and the first time I've taken any game myself. I went home with two squirrel's worth of meat. Had a blast. Looking forward to going again.
We were shooting on the property of an acquaintance who was kind enough to let us on. The property used to be a golf course, and has since been overgrown and repurposed for crops. It's fairly remote, with not a lot of structures nearby. I was using a .22 LR bolt action with a 4x fixed scope, shooting CCI 36 grain Varmint Mini-Mags. This rifle and ammo made for some pretty clean kills. I shot one squirrel in the head from about 7 yards away just at the base of a tree. The other one I shot was about 20 yards away, and up in some branches. I hit him in the upper side, and had an exit wound out the base of the neck.
What occurred to me, however, is that I think this ammo is probably overkill for squirrels -- at least at these close ranges, and for making tree shots. Even though I was cognizant of the direction I was shooting at all times as relates to nearby structures in the vicinity, shooting a rifle at an upward angle into a tree like this feels like it breaks conventions of firearm safety, even though it's just a .22. If the bullet doesn't hit a squirrel, a tree, or something else to dissipate its energy and modify trajectory, I know that bullet is capable of flying a good mile or more, depending on angle. I think I can be more responsible here. At the very least, if I am going to use a .22, I feel like I can pick a better round.
So let's say I want to keep using a .22 LR bolt action. Let's say I'm not interested in moving to a shotgun or a pellet rifle. What ammo would you recommend for tree shooting inside of 40 yards or so? Just enough juice to easily down a squirrel, while anemic enough to limit over-travel with missed shots. Would CCI Quiets be the ticket? .22 Shorts? What do you like to use?
Thanks.